The Wicked Wager (14 page)

“It suits you. Why, I cannot imagine you
with anything but black hair,” Prudence remarked.

“It will stay dark for only three more
weeks. It will eventually fade away. Thank god it is not permanent,” he smiled
back.

Emma sighed in relief, while Catherine
looked disappointed.

“I am sorry,” Catherine whispered to Emma
while the duke once again engaged Lord Raikes in conversation.

“For what, Cat?”

“Emmy, I was an absolute beast to your
fiancé. I was angry with the way he treated me on his arrival. He is very
arrogant just like you said, and he rubs me the wrong way … but I truly should
have made more of an effort to like him.”

“He takes some getting used to,” she
replied, secretly wondering how she would deal with him.

That man had barely spoken two words to her
all evening, and people were bound to notice soon. His arrogance made Richard
look angelic in comparison.

They were to dance that evening, and for
that purpose, they retired to the music room after dinner.

Catherine sat playing the piano and the
duchess hinted to Lord Raikes that he should open the dance with Emma. It was a
broad enough hint for him to comprehend its meaning.

Accordingly, Emma found herself dancing and
finally alone with him.

“You need to be careful, My Lord. Everyone
has noticed that you have barely spoken to me since your arrival. Please
remember, I am your fiancé.”

“Richard has put me in such a difficult
situation. I do not deal well with strangers. Forgive me for not paying you
enough attention. I will remedy it immediately.”

“You are forgiven, My Lord. Now, is there
anything I need to know? How did the meeting with the duke go? Did he suspect
anything?”

“No, I think it is too early to tell if the
duke suspects. He did not interrogate me, as I have only arrived today. He will
no doubt ask me some questions in the morning. He has requested my presence in
his study.”

“I see, and have you met Richard?”

“I did. I stopped at the village first, and
he briefed me. He wants us to take a walk in the morning after breakfast. That
will have to wait now, as I have to meet the duke. In the afternoon we can go
for a stroll, and if your chaperone will be kind enough to leave us alone, we
can try and meet Richard.”

“Oh, I will ask Catherine to engage Lady
Babbage. Escaping her would not be a problem.”

“Catherine seems to dislike me.”

“You mistook her for a maid, My Lord. No
wonder she is offended.”

“Oh, no, not again! I truly think only
maids should be allowed to wear grey. How is a man to tell the difference
between a lady and a maid if they both wear the same colour?”

“She wore a dove grey silk dress, and even
if she wore a sack, it would be hard to confuse her with a maid. Her face is
aristocratic and her hands soft as butter.”

“Yes, I can’t imagine how I made such a
gaffe. She is beautiful. Is she engaged?”

Emma wanted to laugh; here was another
complication they did not need.

“She is unclaimed, My Lord. Though, please
remember, you are not. You are supposed to be engaged to
me
.”

“I am hardly likely to forget,” he replied,
staring at the corner where Catherine sat playing the Piano. After a few
moments of silence, he sighed and said, “She plays well.”

Emma sighed as well and allowed herself to
be led in the direction of the pianoforte
.

He danced with all the ladies present, and
knowing how uncomfortable he was, she was pleased that he had managed to charm
all members of her sex present. The fact that he was extremely handsome made
things somewhat easier for him. He barely spoke a word, yet the women made up
for it. He was considered a good listener, and what woman does not love a
listening man.

In contrast, his dance with Catherine was
conducted in silence. They could not hold a conversation without arguing, so
they both thought it prudent to keep their mouth shut in each other’s company.

***

“Are you sure you want to marry him?”

“Cat, we have been over this for two hours.
Yes, I want to marry the earl … now can I have my breakfast?”

“But he is so different from what you said.
He dislikes company, I could see it in his face the entire night. He is polite,
but his conversations seem stiff and forced.”

“You have just met him. I am sorry he
mistook you for a maid, but he is a very nice man. Give him time, he will grow
on you. You cannot judge a man after one meal.”

“I do not know why I am reacting so
strongly. This is not like me. I always give people the benefit of the doubt.
But my gut tells me something is not right. Why, his behaviour towards you was
almost cold.”

“He was embarrassed. He wanted to spend
time with me alone, but it was difficult with so many present eyeing our every
move. We both felt unnatural, and I am sure things will be better today.”

“I suppose you are right,” said Catherine
doubtfully.

“We are to take a walk in the afternoon.
Will you join us?” Emma asked.

“Yes, and keep the chaperone away,” she
added slyly.

“Thank you. Now, I am going to eat, and I
don’t want to hear another word from you until I am done.”

Catherine left her cousin to her breakfast
and went to the library. It was a large room filled with books and the smell of
leather and tobacco.

It reminded her of her father and how as a
child she used to sit and listen to him read in his deep baritone voice. It
comforted her, and she still missed those winter days by the fireside. Now she
found the same solace in books, and her love for the room grew as the years
sped by.

She walked towards the shelf searching its
titles, when a cough alerted her to another presence.

Lord Raikes, too, had taken refuge in the
library, seeking an hour of peace after his interview with the duke. He had
watched Catherine walk in and hoped he would not be discovered. He was in no
mood for polite conversations, yet the look on her face as she eyed her beloved
books prompted him to cough to get her attention.

Annoyed, she turned around and greeted him.
Instead of replying he walked up to her and took her hand,

“I am deeply sorry if I offended you in any
way, Lady Arden.”

Flustered, she stared into his dark blue
eyes. She had not expected him to approach so boldly.

“Forgive me, My Lord, I behaved badly as
well last night. My pride was hurt, and I lashed out at you.”

He smiled; his eyes crinkled in amusement
as he answered, “Shall we part as friends and forget the entire episode?”

“Yes, that would please me, My Lord.”

He briefly pressed her hand before
continuing, “I often find comfort in libraries. They all hold the scent of
books and leather, and apart from the differences in furnishing they remain the
cosiest of rooms in any household.”

“I agree,” she replied, trying to pull her hand
free. He refused to relinquish his firm hold.

“You came in search of a book,” he
continued, as if unaware of the gentle tugging. “Allow me to direct you towards
some titles suited for a lady’s perusal. You can discuss my choice in the
afternoon when we take our walk.”

She snatched her hand back, her earlier
softening mood rapidly turning to furious anger. His tone was so authoritative
that it irked her.

“I can choose my own books, thank you. I do
not need advice, and I am allowed to read what I please. My father has never
resorted to dictate my tastes or steer me towards literature that is considered
suitable for ladies. He believes in broadening my education and allowing me to
judge what is appropriate for me. As for discussing anything in the afternoon,
I am afraid you are forgetting that you will be occupied with Emma, who is your
fiancée
and whom you have not seen for several weeks. You would hardly
want to waste your time discoursing with me.”

He was taken aback by the sudden rush of
anger in her face. He seemed to annoy her no matter what he said.

He glanced at the titles and noticed a
partially concealed copy of a book a hair’s breath away from where Catherine’s
hand had been.

He frowned, “Do you mean to tell me that
your father allows you to take any book from this library. Are none of the
titles forbidden to you?”

“Yes, he has never sought to dictate my
reading habits,” she lied boldly. She was not allowed to venture into certain sections
of the library, but she was loath to admit it to the blasted, arrogant man.

He strode over to the shelf and pulled out
the title he had been eyeing. He turned the book towards her and softly asked,

“And what, pray, is your opinion on this
particular piece of poetry?”

Catherine stared in mortification at a
partially nude woman gracing the covers of ‘
Ovid
’. Her cheeks reddened,
and she dared not lift her eyes up to the laughing man in front of her.

She could neither deny nor brazenly agree
that she had read it. Instead, she took the coward’s way out and fled.

His laughter followed her as she raced out
of the room.

It took all Catherine’s nerve to appear
before the party that afternoon. She had to splash her face with cold water
multiple times to cool her heated cheeks. Unlike her cousin, she had always
been demure and shy. Her strange behaviour and outspokenness with the earl
alarmed her.

While Emma would have laughed off the
incident, she wanted to crawl into bed and hide. It was her pride that forced
her to face the man. She was the duke’s daughter, after all, and no mocking
smile would have her feigning illness over such a trifling incident.

Accordingly, she found herself walking
towards the garden in her pale blue walking dress. A cream wrap around her
shoulders reminded her that summer was truly over.

Lord Raikes glanced at the fetching vision
Catherine made. Emma held on to his arm as they strolled, but his eyes kept
returning to her cousin.

Catherine resolutely kept her eyes downcast
and had not even looked at him once.

Her soft replies to his greeting irritated
him. He wanted to take hold of her chin and force her to meet his eyes.

“Look, the leaves are turning gold, My
Lord,” Prudence said, breaking his train of thought.

Prudence was another reason why he was
annoyed. She had blatantly thrown herself at him, rudely ignoring the other
girls. She clung to his other arm while he tried hard to forget she was there.

“Yes, they are turning gold, but that is to
be expected, for autumn is setting in,” he replied blandly.

“Would you like to go for a ride, My Lord?
The stable is well provided with some excellent mounts to choose from. We
should take advantage of the last few days of warmth,” Prudence asked.

“I doubt Lady Babbage would want to sit
upon a horse in this lifetime,” said Emma, glancing back at the older woman
strolling behind them with Catherine. “Besides, the day is not warm. The rain
last night seems to have washed away all traces of summer.”

“Why can’t we go on our own? The duke needs
to venture out to London and realise the changes that have occurred in society.
Why we need to be watched so strictly is beyond me. I, for one, am willing to
take the chance and face the duke’s wrath, if you are,” Prudence replied,
fluttering her lashes up at him.

“I am afraid I will have to decline your
tempting offer, as I would like to spend some time with my fiancé. I have not
seen her for almost a fortnight,” he said politely.

The broad hint to leave them alone was not
lost on Prudence, and she shot a scathing look in Emma’s direction. But even
she could think of no good reason to hang on to his arm any longer, so she
dropped her hand and turned to engage Catherine in conversation.

“How are we to escape them? Catherine can
handle Lady Babbage, but Prudence has her eyes set on you. She will not let us
disappear so easily.” Emma whispered.

“I think we may not be able to meet Richard
… wait … isn’t that him mucking about in that flower bed? Good Lord, I had
never imagined I would ever see him tending so lovingly to daisies,” he replied
laughing.

She scowled in response and strode towards
the earl, pulling Lord Raikes along.

“Good evening, miss, nice day,” the earl
said, setting aside his spade.

“We cannot get rid of them,” Emma hurriedly
spoke. “Can you see me tonight in my room?”

At Lord Raikes’ horrified gasp, the earl
grinned, “Not what you imagine, William. I have been perfectly honourable,
contrary to my nature. Close your mouth man, and stop behaving like an outraged
virgin.”

Prudence’s high pitched voice interrupted
their hushed conversation,

“You have found your gardener. I must tell
you, My Lord, Emma has developed a grand passion for gardening. Why, she is
never far from the head gardener at any time.”